意 yì — idea; meaning; wish; desire; (abbr.) Italy
谢谢你的好意。Xiè xie nǐ de hǎo yì.Thank you for your kindness.
Common words: 愿意 (yuàn yì)、意思 (yì si)、意见 (yì jiàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "desire"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "desire", including 意 (yì), 愿 (yuàn), 欲 (yù), 欲 (yù). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "desire" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 意 (yì), 愿 (yuàn), 欲 (yù), 欲 (yù) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span yì, yuàn, yù — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 意 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 意 yìidea; meaning; wish; desire; (abbr.) ItalyUseful words: 愿意, 意思
- 愿 yuànsincere; willing; hope; wish; desire; readyUseful words: 愿意, 愿望
- 欲 yùdesire; wish; desire; longing; appetite; wishUseful words: 欲望, 食欲
- 欲 yùdesire; wish; desire; longing; appetite; wishUseful words: 欲望, 食欲
Common words for these 4 "desire" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 意 (yì) — so "desire" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
愿意yuàn yìto wish; to want; ready; willing (to do sth)意思yì siidea; opinion; meaning; wish意见yì jiànidea; opinion; suggestion; objection愿意yuàn yìto wish; to want; ready; willing (to do sth)愿望yuàn wàngdesire; wish志愿者zhì yuàn zhěvolunteer欲望yù wàngdesire; longing; appetite; craving食欲shí yùappetite随心所欲suí xīn suǒ yù(idiom) to follow one's heart's desires; to do as one pleases欲望yù wàngdesire; longing; appetite; craving
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "desire".
愿 yuàn — sincere; willing; hope; wish; desire; ready
我愿意帮你一起完成。Wǒ yuàn yì bāng nǐ yì qǐ wán chéng.I am willing to help you finish it together.
Common words: 愿意 (yuàn yì)、愿望 (yuàn wàng)、志愿者 (zhì yuàn zhě)
欲 yù — desire; wish; desire; longing; appetite; wish
天空乌云密布，大雨欲来。Tiān kōng wū yún mì bù, dà yǔ yù lái.The sky is full of dark clouds; a heavy rain is about to come.
Common words: 欲望 (yù wàng)、食欲 (shí yù)、随心所欲 (suí xīn suǒ yù)
欲 yù — desire; wish; desire; longing; appetite; wish
天空乌云密布，大雨欲来。Tiān kōng wū yún mì bù, dà yǔ yù lái.The sky is full of dark clouds; a heavy rain is about to come.
Common words: 欲望 (yù wàng)、食欲 (shí yù)、随心所欲 (suí xīn suǒ yù)
All 4 characters
Open 意、愿、欲 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.